Amusement device



E. J.' MAYER.

AMUSEMENI DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16, 1920.

Patented June 20, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l- Wl T/VESSES l/WE/VTOI? W y flmenmcf JIrgrcza/O 6 W V ATTORNEYS E. J. MAYER.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16. 1920.

N] N E E R 95 V 0 mm a n WITNESSES E. J. MAYER.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16, 1920. 1,420,437. Patented June 20,1922.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER JOHN MAYER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOIR; T0 JOSEPH SCHNEPS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELMER' J. MAYER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Amusement Device, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in amusement devices, and it pertains more particularly to devices of this character ofthe carrousel type.

It is one of the primary objects of the invention to construct a device of this character in such a manner that a plurality of passenger carrying elements, such as cars,

are carried around a circular track, the surface of which is of an undulated character.

It is a further object of the invention to so' construct a device of this character that the passenger-carrying elements above men'- tioned will have pivotal movement in both the direction of and the direction opposite to the circular direction of travel.

It is afurther object of the invention to so construct these passenger-carrying elements as to provide for vertical movement thereof as the same travel over the undulations of the track.

Vith the above and other ob'ects in View,

reference is had to the accompanying drawings in whiclr Figure 1 is a top plan view of a device constructed in accordance with the present invention:

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof:

Fig. 3 is a detail view partly in elevation and partly in section;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail perspective view of a portion of the device;

Fig. 5 is a detail top plan of a modified form of the invention; y

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view showing the method of mounting the cars in the modified form of the invention;

Fig. 7 is a similar view taken at right angles to Fig. 6.

Referring more particularly to the draw-' ings. the device comprises a circular track 10, and as more clearly shown in Fig, 2, the surface of said circular track is of undulated character and constructed with raised por- Specification of'Letters Patent. Patented June 20, 1922. Application filed November 16, 1920. Serial No. 424,428.

' relation to each other and connected by cross beams 14 upon which the tread surface 15 of the track is laid. In order to brace the vertical standards 13, circumferential members 16 and 17 are employed upon the exterior and interior edges of the track, re spectively, and upon the interior edge of the track a runner 18 is provided, said runner projecting slightly above the track as indicated by the reference character 19.

Mounted centrally of the track is a base or the like 20, and mounted upon the upper face of said base 20, is a bearing member 21. Pivotally mounted upon this bearing member 21, by means of a bolt 22, is a bearing plate 22, and'interposed between the bearing member 21, and the bearing plate 22, are anti-friction elements 23. .This bearing plate 22 is preferably circular in form and is provided around its edge with spaced flanges 24, Which flanges are perforated for the reception of bolts25.

Mounted interiorly of the track in circular relation one to the other, is a plurality of foundation blocks 30, and each of these foundation blocks 30 carries upon its upper face, spaced trunnions 31, the upper end of each of which is provided with a bearing 32. Mounted in the bearings 32 on each of these devices, is a shaft 33, and suitably carried by said shaft 33, is a roller 34. It is to be understood that these blocks 30 together with the mechar ism described, arepositioned at various points throughout the inner circumference of. the track 10, there being suf- -members. The lower member 37 is adapted bolts 25 heretofore mentioned, is a plurality member 36 is provided at equidistantlyspaced of rods'39, and rigidly connected to the base portion of the channel which forms the upper ring 36, as at 40, is a plurality of rods 41, each of which is in axial alinement with one of the rods 39.

To secure the two members 36 and 37 together in order that the circular member 35 ma at all times maintain its concentric relatlon with the track, supporting rollers 34, and the central bearing member, an inter nally screw-threaded sleeve 42 is provided, which receives the adjacent ends of the rods 39 and 41, said ends being screw-threaded as indicated by the reference character 43.

As more clearly shown in Fig. 1, the top points with a pair of spaced plates, and said plates are secured tothe top member 36 above that point where'each of the rods 41 is connected thereto. To give additional support to the spaced plates 50, an angle iron 51 is secured to the rear face or base of the channel which forms the member 36, as more clearly shown in Fig. 3, said spaced plates 50 being secured to the member36 and the angle iron 51 by means of rivets 52 and 53, respectively. These spaced plates 50 are adapted to form the means by which a plurality of cars are pivotally secured at equidistantly spaced points about its circumference, to the top member 36.

The reference character 55 designates the cars, and interposed between each of. the cars 55 and the ring member 35, is a triangular frame 56, the apex of which is positioned outwardly of the track and is provided' with a socket 57 in which is seated a pole 58 carried by an extension 59 on the forward end of each of the cars. Each of the legs of the triangular member 56 is pivotally mounted, by means of a bolt 60, be-

tween a pair of plates50 in order that these triangular members 56 may have a vertical movement between the plates 50 and relative to the ring and the track 10. To support the outer end of each of the triangular members56, they are provided at that point beneath their connection with the extensions 59 of the cars 55, with castor wheels 61.

Each of the cars is substantially triangular in top plan view, and said cars are provided on their rear ends, with castor wheels 63 and upon opposite sides adjacent their rear ends they are provided with spring buffers or the like 64.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. is shown means by which thedevice is driven. said means comprising an electric motor 65, suitably mounted beneath the track 10, and said motor 65 drives a pulley 66,by means of a belt 67. The pulley 66 is mounted on a shaft 68'carried by bearings 69 and mounted on the shaft 68, is a second pulley 70. Passing around this pulley 70, is a cable 71, and said cable 71' is adapted to lie within the lower circular member 37 as shown 'in ig. 3. By this construction, it will be apparent that as the motor 65 drives the shaft 68. the pulley will be driven and through the medium of the cable 71, the circular member 35 will be. rotated. As the circular member 35 is rotated, it will be seen that the cars 55 will be carried around the circular track 10,- and that as the cars approach one of the inclined or raised portions '11, they will assume a position at right angles to their respective triangular-member and the longitudinal axis of each car will be substantially parallel to the direction of travel. When, however, the apex of each raised portion is reached, the car is advanced down the declined portion to the next lower portion 12, and the rate of speed of this travel will be greater thanthe rate ofspeed of travel of the circular member 35.

By this construction, itwill be seen that the several cars would be advanced with an intermittent m'otion since they would pause .within the depresions of-the tracklO a sufficient length of time to permit the circular member 35 to reach its position relative to the track 10, during which period the cars would be subjected to'aslight jerky motion on the surface of the track without traveling therealong.

In'the form of the, inventionshown in Figs. 5 to 7, inclusive, the cars 55 are each.- carried by a rigid beam 100, and said rigid beams are pivoted. between flanges 101 carried by plates 102jmounte'd-npon the circular member 35. Themeans by which. these rigid beams 100 are ivotallysecured, consists of a universal joint 103, having a horizontal ivotalpoiht 104 and a vertical pivotal point. 105. In this form of the inven tion, a rod 110 is pivotally secured, as at 111, to each side of each of the beams 103, and pivotally secured as at 112, to the circular member 35, are rods 113. These rods 113 are arranged in axial .alinement with their respective rods 110,- and when in this position, a spring 114 is passed around the rods to provide shockabsorbing means for the cars 55.

In this embodiment of the invention, it will be seen that the cars will normally be carried in a posit-ion which is substantially at right angles to the axis of the circle. and will only vary slightly from this position as the compression of the springs 114 will permit.

From the foregoing it .will be apparent that the present invention provides a new and improved amusement device in which in addition to a circular. direction of travel, the passenger-carrying elements of the device are subjected to jerky, intermittent moalso lends to the attractiveness of adevice of this character.

I claim:

1. In an amusement device, a stationary circular track, a circular member mounted interior of the track and concentric therewith, means for driving said interior memher, a plurality of triangular frames pivot tally mounted upon said interior circular member, and a passenger-carrying car pivotally mounted upon the outer end of each of said trianglar frames.

2. In an amusement device, -a circular track, a circular member mounted interior of the track and concentric therewith, means for driving the interior circular member, a plurality of triangular frames pivotally carried by the circular member, a; caster wheel for supporting one end. of each of said trian mova 'le over the track, and a plurality of passenger-carrying cars adapted-for movement oven the track, each of said cars being lar frames, said castor wheels beingpivotally connected to one of the trianguv lar frames at a Wheel.

3. In an amusement device, a circular track having an undulated tread surface, a circular member mounted interior of the track, means interior of thetrack for suppoint directly over its castor porting said circular member andpermit-v ting of a rotary-movement thereof, means for driving the interior circular member, a plurality of triangular frames pivotally connected to the circular member and extending over the track, a cast or Wheel for supporting that end of each of said frames which projects over the track, and a passenger-carrying car pivotally pivoted to the outer end of each of said frames at a point above the castor wheel thereof.

4. An amusement device comprising a 011'- cular track having an undulating surface, a

circular member mounted within said track,"

means for driving said circular member within the track, means pivotally connected tothe inner circular member and overlying a portion'of the track, and a plurality of passenger-carrying cars,said cars being pivotally connected to the 'inner circular member by the means pivoted thereto and extending over a portion of the track, sub-' stantially as described.

ELMER JOHN MAYER. I 

